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Daily Slice: Mama Homestyle from Francoluigi's in Philly

Posted by Hawk Krall, Jan 6, 2011

Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately.

[Photograph: Hawk Krall]

Francoluigi's has long been one of my favorite pizza places in Philadelphia. They have a great selection of South Philly gourmet pies layered with Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, fresh ricotta, roast pork, and so on. All the toppings are the real deal—these folks also operate a full-service red-sauce Italian restaurant next door, complete with waiters who sing opera.

Until recently I had never tried their "Mama Homestyle" pie. Now that I have, there's no turning back. Topped simply with a slightly sweet, slow-cooked plum-tomato sauce and a few slices of mozzarella, this pizza doesn't suffer from the sogginess of some of its heavily topped cousins.

Francoluigi's thick, rich sauce is similar to what you might find on a Philly tomato pie, and it might be even tastier when served at room temperature. It's a simple, beautiful pizza; adding toppings would be pretty criminal.